I know both Bill and Rick, and they're both weird.

I'm convinced that finding a friend or a partner is based more on compatable weirdnesses than anything else. At least when we're older. If you can stand a certain type of strangeness in someone, fine. If you have the same sort of strangeness, it's perfect as long as you you don't get competitively strange.

I've noticed that my first impressions about people are often right, but every now and then, I'm really far off the mark. Unless someone dumps drugs on the table and explains each one, how a person acts at your initial meeting may be severely affected by nervousness. Babbling, refusal to talk at all, or a sense of prepared discussion topics or forced conversation can perhaps be signs of nervousness. Depending on whether you can tolerate those things long enough to work through them, you might still find someone under the nerves you might like.

I used to think there must be something wrong with me. Others would happily go out with someone primarily looking for a romantic relationship. I'd need to find someone I felt comfortable with, whom I first liked, shared dreams with and enjoyed being around. The guys I always ended up with were ones I was somewhat infatuated with. I suppose I thought I ought to be in love because everyone else was. The infatuation always wore off, and there was nothing left underneath. On the other hand, most of my best friends as an adult have been male. Many of those friendships have been far more rewarding than the romantic relationships. I think the ideal relationships are those with both elements - friendship/intellectual attraction and romance/physical attraction. Everybody differs as to which one of those things they look for (or notice) first and how much of each they need.

The weirdest "date" I ever had involved a guy who asked me to take a flight with him ("I just want some company - nothing else.") in his private airplane and landed on a lake in a very secluded spot and chased me around for about a half hour. I have no idea what might have happened if I hadn't been a much better swimmer. Anyway, don't get in private airplanes with people you don't know very well.